Eva wasn’t sure what to say to that. “More respectable than my family. My mother lies around on her back all day and my father couldn’t hold a job down if his life depended on it.”
“Let’s not play the who has a more troublesome family game,” Shelby said with a grin. “I’ve got an uncle who can’t be beat in that.”
“Fair enough.”
They sat in silence until Irene and Juliana returned with Max and Jordan in tow. The girls seemed to have recruited the two in helping to carry the meal. Neither of the boys wasted a moment in setting the food out and cutting up the large turkey they stole from the kitchen.
Max set to arranging the relish tray in fancy patterns. The celery criss crossed with carrots, leaving holes for olives in the center. Pickles and tomatoes all but danced over the top.
If he was better at magic, they might have danced.
Together they ate, talking about nothing and everything. Jokes passed around. Some got polite chuckles while others got roaring laughter. They celebrated getting through the first half of their first year.
That making it to December actually warranted celebration seemed to be lost on most of them.
Throughout it all, Eva participated where she could. She laughed at jokes–mostly polite laughs–and kept up with conversations, at least ones that she related to.
Talking about football seemed to enrapture Max and Shelby. It didn’t interest Eva in the slightest. Thankfully, she didn’t appear to be alone in that. While Jordan politely nodded along and even offered input now and again, Irene and Juliana seemed almost disgusted with the topic.
Eventually, their party wound down. Jordan pulled out his bag of gifts and everyone else followed suit. They made a quick show of handing out gifts to each other.
Irene and Shelby gave everyone a large bottle of Twisted Doe. They handed out loaves of bread and jam made by the same company.
Eva couldn’t wait to try it.
Max also handed out food. Homemade food. He sneaked off in the morning to bake up a few batches of his great grandmother’s pastries.
The smell alone almost had Eva in a drooling mess. How he hid it before he pulled them out, Eva couldn’t fathom.
Eva handed out her pens next. They seemed to be more politely received than anything, except by Jordan.
“What is the ink made out of?”
“I don’t know the exact formula, but scarab beetles from Central America as well as seaweed from the same area.”
Jordan held the small vial of ink up to a lamp on one of the side tables, inspecting it carefully.
“If you find a use for it, I can tell you where I order it from. I mostly use it for runes.”
“I’m sure it will come in handy,” he said as he set the vial back into the pen case. “Thank you.”
Having friends felt weird. She’d never given gifts before, not even to Devon or Arachne. Obviously never to her father or the kids she went to school with.
Her present being well received by at least one of her new friends brought a confused smile to her face. Eva wasn’t sure she liked it, but it was nice all the same. At least Christmas only came once a year. Coming up with a gift to give had been unpleasant.
A person moved to stand just outside the study room. Eva almost groaned as the woman placed a hand on the doorknob. There was only one person Sister Cross would be interested in speaking to inside.
The nun’s hand stopped before turning the knob. She brought it back and leaned against the wall.
Eva suppressed a sigh. That was almost worse.
The rest of the room continued handing out presents, ignorant of the troubles standing just outside.
Jordan brought out his presents. Necklaces with heavy metal pendants hanging off of them. She couldn’t tell what kind of metal it was. The pendant was a small dot with a crescent moon over it. A flame sprouted from the moon.
Everyone had the moon, but their flames were replaced by water drops, wavy lines or a large square.
Juliana finished up the group by handing out very heavy metal plates. There was something etched onto the front of it. An image of some sort. Eva couldn’t get a full picture of it without covering the plate in blood and that would have been too noticeable. She slowly traced the lines and guessed it was a person.
A person with a spider on top of their head.
With all the presents handed out, they started cleaning up from their party.
It was then that Sister Cross entered the room. She had a kind smile on. “Eva, might I have a minute of your time?” Her happy, melodious voice almost sang out.
Despite her facade of peace and happiness, her muscles were tense. Eva could tell.
Eva sighed, making sure her sigh was very apparent to all her friends, and excused herself.
Sister Cross led Eva to another study room. Whatever the fancy effect of this one was, Eva couldn’t tell.
“I see you’ve kept those hands,” Sister Cross said after she looked Eva up and down. The song-like tone was completely absent in her voice. “They’re corrupting you. I can see it.”
Eva doubted it was the hands corrupting her; Devon’s experiments would be the leading cause of any ‘corruption.’
“If you’d like me to remove them, I’d be happy to burn them off of you. It wouldn’t even be painful.”
“Sister Cross, I know you delight in ruining children’s Christmases, but I was enjoying myself with my friends. Do you have anything I care to hear about?”
Sister Cross leaned in close, all but growling as she said, “you’re a murderess who consorts with demons. You should consider salvation before it becomes necessary to strike you down.”
“I thought we were past holding Weilks’ death against me. You agreed he needed to be put down.”
“The three bloodstones strapped to your back–you got one from Weilks and one from a flesh golem. Where did you get the other?”
If Eva had any doubt her eyes were aglow, it was quashed with that statement. “A museum,” Eva said honestly. “I didn’t kill anyone for them. Surely you don’t count the flesh golem?”
“Sister Prince died last June. She was attempting to apprehend criminals,” she stressed the word, “who stole a dangerous object from a museum.”
Eva took a deep breath. She prepared her magic, channeling it into herself. “I didn’t kill your nun.”
“I didn’t think you did. Sister Prince’s cross was found amid a pile of ashes belonging to a human. I’ve seen you cast fire magic, you’re abysmal.”
“Oh.” Eva sighed, allowing some of her magic to dissipate. She couldn’t be that bad, could she? For a first year at least? Max was worse at water magic than she was at fire, after all. Most of the students weren’t much better than she was.
“You were there. Who killed her?”
It was Arachne, unless she still had scrapes of life left when her master incinerated her. She didn’t want to give the nun more reasons to go after Arachne. And Devon was still missing. Perfect to play a scapegoat.
“A diabolist by the name of Harley Warren.”
“He’s the one who summoned the demon you were with?”
“Yes.”
“We’ve been watching that demon. It hardly moves unless you are around.”
“I told her not to. She is being punished. I’d think you would appreciate that.”
Sister Cross merely hummed.
“You’re still watching me?” Eva asked after a moment.
“Always. One toe out of line…” Sister Cross held up a single finger.
Eva didn’t bother to point out that she didn’t have any toes despite Arachne being completely ready to chop off her own legs. The fake toes she currently wore were sufficient for walking, but she couldn’t run. Not without falling or expending a lot of blood to make herself toes she could control.